Re:Researchers fear that vaccines might not be as effective ...
by bpodgursky on Monday November 16, 2020 @12:23PM
(#25114324)
The thing is, a 3-year life expectancy loss doesn't usually mean "you just cut off the last 3 years of your life." In many (or most) cases, your years of healthy life adjust downward accordingly.
At 27, you have the same medical problems and quality-of-life degradations a healthy person gets at 30. At 55, you're a 58 year old.
It's really easy to look at a number like that and think "Yeah, I'd be happy to lose the 80-83 bracket". But effectively it's the 20-23 range of healthy, happy life you've cut out. And that IS a big difference.
Re:Researchers fear that vaccines might not be as effective ...
by paulpauper on Monday November 16, 2020 @01:36PM
(#25115279)
But this is sorta moving goalposts. We're talking about years of life, not quality of life. That is important too but the claim that obese people die at a significantly earlier age than non-obese people is not supported by evidence.
Re:Researchers fear that vaccines might not be as effective ...
by bpodgursky on Monday November 16, 2020 @01:43PM
(#25115368)
I would argue that "Quality Years of Life" is what 80% of people (both as individuals and as policymakers) would optimize for, if given a good metric and perfect information, and that "crude life expectancy" is only commonly used because it is so easy to non-controversially measure.
So IMO it's not really moving the goalposts as much as "reminding us of what the actual goalposts are."
Re:Researchers fear that vaccines might not be as effective ...
by confidantlake on Monday November 16, 2020 @12:32PM
(#25114441)
I think it is even worse than that! A healthy 30 year old is going to have a much better quality of life than an obese 20 year old. They will be able to climb stairs, walk without getting winded, have more energy, look better ect.
Re:Researchers fear that vaccines might not be as effective ...
by 1123581321 on Monday November 16, 2020 @08:34PM
(#25119382)
You should be looking at this lifespan reduction in terms of mortality rate. It is not a median three years’ reduction so much as a small, significant chance of life ending decades early.
Not really. Life expectancy is only diminished by a few years for obesity. Much less than smoking.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/obesity-cuts-life-span-...
>For example, a 20-year-old white male who, at age 20, weighs 200 pounds (90 kilograms), can expect to live one year less than if he weighed 185 pounds (83 kilograms). At 250 pounds (113 kilograms), his life expectancy falls by three years, and at 300 pounds (135 kilograms) by seven years.
250-pound person is not small by any stretch yet a 3-year reduction of life expectancy is just 3.7% reduction of an 80-year lifespan. I would not consider a 4% reduction to be much.
It only becomes dramatic if we're talking BMIs above 45.
Obesity is a spectrum. Belly fat is obesity but so is being so overweight that you cannot move. We cannot just lump it all together.